Punch Bowl jump claims one, three others hurt

At about 5 p.m. on June 2, the Hood River County Sheriff's Office received a report of multiple men injured at the Punch Bowl Falls on Eagle Creek in Hood River County. Cascade Locks Fire and Rescue along with the Hood River County Sheriff's Office responded to the location.

Five men, visiting the area from outside of the state, had made the hike to the falls. Four of the men made a jump into the falls. Three of the men suffered minor injuries from the jump. Two of the three were able to walk out under their own power; the third man needed to be carried out. Rescue personnel from the Crag Rats and Multnomah County Rural Fire District 14 assisted with this rescue. All three injured men refused transport to a hospital.

A fourth man, identified as 25-year-old Jason Endicott of Cincinnati, Ohio, was fatally injured. Due to darkness and risk to searchers, operations to recover Endicott were suspended after 9 p.m. on June 2.

Crews from the Hood River County Sheriff's Office, Multnomah County Sheriff's Office Dive Team, Crag Rats and West Side Fire Department will attempt recovery of Endicott's remains beginning at 9 a.m. today. The exact cause of death is not yet known.

The Hood River County Sheriff's Office urges people not to make jumps or dives into waterfalls. This action is extremely dangerous and routinely results in injuries. This was the second incident involving an injury at Punch Bowl Falls during the weekend.